Phobia
by schmuck
Summary: Raven struggles with her feelings for Robin and Beast Boy, while a dangerous threat emerges within the city. Facing the threat head on, Raven painfully learns not all is as it seems. RobxRae
1. Of Carnage and Titans

A few little items before we get going:

I originally had a long introduction to this, but I took that out because I wasn't really happy with it. It sounded like I was lecturing almost. So the pairing in this story is going to be Robin and Raven. You'll see why it develops that way if you stick to this story and read the first couple of chapters.

Other than all that, I've got nothing else to say. I hope you enjoy this.

This story begins the very second "Things Change" finishes.

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Fire screamed toward Robin, crackling through the air and generating an immense heat as it neared. Robin's entire vision was filled with an orange glow so intense and painful his eyes watered and his skin began to burn. He almost did not react in time, barely throwing himself to the side as the flames scorched past. Robin blinked several times and slowly opened his eyes, allowing his vision to clear. He could clearly see a smouldering black stain on the concrete wall behind him, with a thin wisp of smoke rising from its centre.

Robin whipped his cape back over his shoulder and pivoted to face the source of the attack. Those beady red eyes were staring back at him, blazing brighter than the flames that now engulfed the creature.

Streaks of green slammed into the creature from above, bursting against its shoulders and back. Starfire hovered near the high ceiling of the Recycle Centre, hurling more starbolts downwards as the creature thrust its right arm toward her. Flames danced from the creature's fingertips and its hand began to glow brighter until it exploded, sending a streak of fire upwards at Starfire. She swooped down as the flames passed by, striking the steel beams above her. A large section of the girders began to bubble from the intense heat, generating a sizzling sound as the creature continued to release its deadly fire. With a grinding noise one of the girders snapped free from the ceiling, striking Starfire hard in her lower back and sending her tumbling toward the concrete floor below. Her world spun as she fell end over end, crashing with tremendous force on her back.

The creature's arm lowered to point at Starfire, flames sparking from its palm. As the fire built up, a thin blast of dark energy sliced through the creature's arm, severing the limb just above the elbow. Stumbling back several steps, the fire vanished from the creature, leaving only white. It turned toward Raven, who shot both her arms outward, sending two long streaks of black forward. The deadly energy left gaping holes in the creature's chest and thigh, leaving it unable to remain standing. As it tried to stumble back to its feet, Raven raised her arms above her head, creating a blur of black around her hands. Whipping her hands forward again, the dark energy surged from her, slamming into the creature's torso and thrusting it backwards. A horrific crash echoed from one end of the building to the other as the creature was propelled through the far wall, tossing a shower of steel fragments into the air.

Raven quickly turned to look at Robin. "Check on Starfire. I'll make sure this thing doesn't get away again." With that she rose up from the floor and flew out of the building, disturbing the dust and debris that had gathered around the hole.

Robin dashed over to Starfire, who was lifting herself up onto her knees. There were distinct cracks in the concrete surrounding her lithe body. "Are you okay?" Robin asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I am unharmed," Starfire replied. She brushed a long strand of hair away from her face and flicked off specks of cement from her shoulders.

"Good," Robin quickly said. "Let's take this creature down."

Starfire leapt to her feet and grabbed Robin's wrist tightly, rising into the air and flying through the hole high above the floor.

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As Raven emerged outside into the moonlight, she could see a deep slice in the ground beginning about fifteen metres from the building. She followed the slice to the edge of a forest, where the creature was lying still. The sheer force behind the impact of the creature had snapped several trees like twigs, which had collapsed on top of it. Slowly Raven saw a hand reach up from underneath the trees, touching one. The stone white immediately turned brown, becoming hard bark. The transformation seemed to revitalize the creature, which roared to its feet, easily tossing the trees aside as it lumbered forward. The holes in its chest and thigh quickly filled in and the thick bark crept forward from the creature's elbow, creating a new arm.

With an astonishing burst of speed, one of its arms rapidly grew five metres in length, extending to Raven in a flash. Instinctively Raven thrust a convex shield of dark energy out in front of her, an instant before the creature's arm, as wide as a tree trunk, rammed into it, hitting with such force that it shook Raven. So focused on the attack, Raven failed to notice the creature's second arm, which came up under the shield and slammed into her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her. Raven gasped for breath, clutching at her chest and throat, and collapsed to the ground below, crumpling in a heap.

"Raven!"

She could hear Robin's voice over her own laboured breathing, his concern obvious. Still holding Robin above the ground, Starfire hurled him towards the creature. Robin landed gracefully on the soft grass and immediately leapt to his right as one of the creature's massive arms swung wildly at him, finding himself on the other elongated trunk. He ran full speed atop the creature's arm towards its face, brandishing his staff from his belt and twirling it as he prepared to strike. Rising the staff high above his head, Robin jumped upwards from the arm, bringing it down fiercely atop the creature's skull.

Starfire screamed in directly behind him, green streaks emanating from her eyes, which cut through one of the creature's long arms, sending it crashing to the ground. The smoothly severed bark at the end of its severed arm crept its way forward, forming a new hand. Starfire plunged downwards as the creature swung viciously at her with its one massive arm, barely missing her.

Darting out in front of the creature's path, Robin whipped his left arm outwards, firing a freeze disk from his hand. The disk popped against the creature's long arm, releasing a swarm of thick blue that quickly covered its entire limb. As Robin steadied himself for another strike, the ground trembled beneath him, rattling his bones. A colossal green triceratops charged out from the woods, ramming its deadly horns into the creature's frozen arm. The limb exploded, tossing bits of ice and bark into the air. Chunks of dirt and grass were ripped from the ground as the dinosaur skidded to a stop directly in front of the creature.

The horns sunk back into the dinosaur's skull as the entire animal became shorter and a long tail formed, spikes now jutting out from the side of its armour plated back. The transformation had been instantaneous, leaving a powerful ankylosaurus, which let out a mighty bellow and swung its heavy clubbed tail upwards at the creature, striking it hard in the chest. The creature was thrown backwards, nearly uprooting a tree as it crashed against it.

Robin was already over at Raven, his hand gently wrapped around her upper arm. As he slowly helped her to her feet he said, "Easy, Raven. Just take a deep breath."

"I'm fine," Raven replied with a scratchy voice. She cleared her throat and took another deep breath in. "I just had the wind taken out of me."

"Where's Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked in a brusque manner as he came up beside them.

Beast Boy's face was emotionless and he spoke in a flat, monotonous tone of voice. He seemed to ask the question as if it was simply business, rather than as concern for his best friend; it was almost as if he did not care. Robin knew he did in fact care, but his mind was clearly still on Terra, or at least the girl that he believed to be her. Until the creature was defeated though, there was no time for Robin to ask Beast Boy if he had truly found her.

Robin turned away from Raven to face Beast Boy. "Cyborg said he had an idea for how to beat this thing. We just have to keep it busy until he gets back."

Starfire gently landed beside them, touching down without a sound. The four Titans stood still, watching as the creature slowly got back to its feet. "Let us hope Cyborg's plan works," she said in her high tone of voice. "This creature is most strong."

"Titans, go!"

Starfire launched a pulsating wave of starbolts, hitting their foe with tremendous accuracy. The creature threw up its arms to block the blasts, but was able to remain still.

Beast Boy leapt into the air, turning into a bald eagle as he went, and flew straight ahead, but the creature flung out one of its arms as he swooped in. The fingers snaked outwards like five long branches, wrapping themselves around Beast Boy and slowly crushing him. Robin plucked a birdarang from his belt, the wings snapping outwards as he threw it forward. The sharp end of one of the wings struck against the creature's midsection, driving itself several inches deep. A red light on the weapon flashed twice and then exploded, tearing the creature apart above its waist. Beast Boy broke himself free from the grip by changing into a tiger and landed delicately on the ground, dashing away without any hesitation.

As the vines and bark began to reconstitute itself, Raven hovered in the air and stretched her arms forward, her fingers extended outwards. Her eyes glowed a bright white as she chanted, "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" and black orbs formed around her hands. The trees surrounding the creature bristled with dark energy and in one motion all came crashing down, hammering it into the ground.

For several long seconds there were no sounds. Robin stood still with his fists clenched tightly, waiting for movement. It started as a low rumble, slowly growing louder, as the trees began to shake. The hulking beast awkwardly climbed to its feet, struggling to brush the trees off itself, and remained still, staring at the ground in front of it. Entirely white once more, it took one sluggish step forward, barely able to summon the strength for such a task by now.

Hearing noises behind them, Robin turned around to be treated to the sight of Cyborg charging forward, holding a large, flat object under his arm. "How're you guys doing without me?" Cyborg asked when he came to a stop.

"Just fine actually," Robin replied, pointing at the creature. "The thing looks pretty tired."

"Is that the device for defeating this creature?" Starfire asked, pointing to the object Cyborg was carrying.

"Sure is," he replied. "Just watch as my baby does its thing."

With that Cyborg pulled the smooth object out from under his arm, holding it out in front of him. It was a perfect circle, with a diameter of nearly a metre. But for a bright blue circle in the middle, the device was a whitish-grey. Cyborg cocked his head to his left and said, "Starfire, get me above it."

Starfire placed her hands under Cyborg's arms and deftly lifted him off the ground, rushing toward the creature and abruptly coming to a stop directly above it. Cyborg shifted the device slightly and then dropped it from his hands, watching as it fell perfectly level. The device cracked apart on the creature's head and back, bursting with a whoosh of air. A white mist was released which gently sank downwards, slowly enveloping the creature's entire body. As the fog faded away, the others could see that a white ice now covered the creature. Tiny icicles hung from its chin and fingertips, and the glowing red eyes had vanished.

"Whoa," Robin said. "What was that?"

"A cryogenic bomb," Cyborg proudly said as Starfire set him back down.

"You froze him?" Raven asked.

"And how. I figured this thing used some form of chemical reactions to change into different substances. All chemical reactions stop when they're frozen."

"That is most clever," Starfire remarked.

"And that's why you asked how many freeze disks I had left."

Cyborg nodded. "I knew I'd have to whip up something a little more substantial when you said you only had one. Worked like a charm too."

"So what do we do with it?" Raven asked.

"Take it to the prison for now," Robin replied. "I'm sure they can build some sort of special room to keep it frozen."

Before Robin had even finished, Beast Boy turned around and silently walked away from the others, staring down at the ground.

"Yo, BB!" Cyborg yelled. "What's the deal with—?"

"Let him be," Robin said quietly.

"He said anything since he went looking for Terra?"

"He has not told us anything about that," Starfire replied.

"Maybe he didn't find her," Raven said.

"Or maybe that girl wasn't even Terra," Cyborg added, shrugging.

"We'll just have to wait for him to cool down," Robin said. "For now, let's just get back to the Tower."


	2. Love and Hate

Ok, so a quick note about Chapter 1. As much as I enjoyed "Things Change," and I really did, I was a little upset that I didn't get to see that creature get beaten good. Now, the way the episode ended does have a lovely artistic style to it, but still, I felt like I was missing something. I was like, "Come on! Gimme more fighting!" And that's why I wrote the first chapter; it was pretty much closure to the last episode.

Now this is when my story really begins. Unfortunately, there isn't any action in this chapter, but it's a very important one, especially for Raven and her emotions. For a guy who's never been quite good at writing romance and fluff stuff, I'm exceptionally pleased with how this chapter turned out. And I think all of you will be too.

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"Is he still in there?" Cyborg asked.

"He has not come out since we returned home last night," Starfire replied. "He has been more quiet than a snuvian glindo."

"That isn't like him." Raven was leaning against one of the walls in the long corridor leading to Beast Boy's room, her arms crossed.

"Maybe someone should go check on him," Cyborg said.

"He just needs time, that's all," Robin remarked. "You guys remember what he was like when he found out she was Slade's apprentice. He curled up in Terra's room and didn't come out for a day."

"So, what do y'all think happened?" Cyborg asked.

"Does it matter?" Raven riposted. "Whatever it was upset him. Deeply."

"It might still be important to find out," Robin commented. "But we won't have any idea until he's had some time to himself."

Starfire folded her hands behind her back. "Does he require the space?"

"Seems like the best thing for him," Cyborg responded. "I'm starving anyways. It's definitely time for lunch."

"Good idea, Cyborg. We could all use a good meal," Robin said.

"Might you make waffles?" Starfire asked, turning away from Beast Boy's room with Cyborg and Robin. "I have been having the craving."

Robin stopped after several steps and looked back at Raven, letting Cyborg and Starfire continue on. "You coming?"

"Maybe later," she answered. "I think I might just go read."

"Everything okay with you?" Robin inquired.

She nodded, feeling strands of her purple hair brush against her cheek. "Everything's fine."

"You want me to put some herbal tea on for you in a little while?"

Raven smiled. "Thanks, Robin."

Returning the smile, Robin jogged away, catching up with Cyborg and Starfire as they rounded a corner down the hallway. Raven stood still for a few moments, feeling her shoulders rise and fall as she took several deep breaths in. She knew Beast Boy wanted to be alone, and that he probably needed to be alone. Other than uncaringly asking about Cyborg, he had not said a word to anyone since running off to find Terra. Raven did not need her mental abilities to realize something had hurt Beast Boy emotionally, and she more than anyone knew the benefits of locking yourself away from others. Raven certainly did not want to upset him more than he obviously was already, but she also cared about him enough to make an effort to comfort him.

The scars from Malchior's betrayal would not have healed as quickly were it not for Beast Boy and his caring words. Raven knew he had feelings for her tucked away beneath his sarcastic exterior, and she for him. But her feelings were confusing at the best of times. Robin was everything Raven could want, and together they shared a special bond, a tremendous mental connection, which was the direct result of Raven putting herself into Robin's mind. Beast Boy was something…different.

Despite their insults towards one another, despite the arguments and bitter disputes, they also shared something, though Raven was not nearly so sure what it was. Raven did not truly know what existed between them, or even if something beyond what they had already could exist, but she was willing to walk into his room and help him however she could.

As Raven's shoes gently touched the cold floor, she began to wonder if she was doing the right thing, if Beast Boy would appreciate her effort, or if he was even in the mood to talk with anyone. Raven was certainly unsure about her feelings, both for Robin and for Beast Boy, but that was not going to stop her from trying to console him.

She took one last deep breath outside Beast Boy's door and then reached up, placidly knocking with her knuckles. After a long silence she slid the door open, standing at the entrance for a moment. Beast Boy was across the room from her, lying on the bottom bunk of his bed, his back toward her. When Beast Boy said nothing, Raven slowly came forward, putting her right foot down into a small pile of dirty socks. She rolled her eyes and quietly shook them off her shoe, knowing it was not the time to make a joke—not that she was ever good at making jokes anyways. Avoiding more dirty laundry, Raven covered the rest of the distance to Beast Boy's bed, stopping close to it.

"Beast Boy?" she timidly asked.

Letting out a sorrowful sigh, Beast Boy did not speak.

"You want to talk about something?" Raven asked. She shifted her weight and put one hand on her hip, trying to distract herself from the knots in her stomach. Beast Boy's ribcage was rising and falling in a rhythmic motion, his deep breathing remaining steady. "What happened with Terra? Did you talk to her?"

The silence was beginning to unnerve Raven, making her nervousness grow to discomfort. There was something uneasy about trying to talk to him, an unsettling feeling in the air. Beast Boy's emotions were clear, but for the moment Raven tried not to wear her own emotions on her sleeve. Thoughts and feelings were racing through her mind, and she closed her eyes for several seconds simply to steady herself. "It might be good for you to talk about it."

"She said things were never the way I remembered, that the girl I want her to be is just a memory. She told me to leave her alone."

"Terra doesn't remember, or was it not her?"

"Please leave."

"I'm not trying to pry, Beast Boy. I just want to talk. You don't have to sit here—you have friends who care about you."

"Just go away."

That was all Beast Boy whispered, but those three simple words cut deeply into Raven, striking her hard and reverberating throughout her entire body. It came to her as painfully as a solid punch to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her all the same. "Are, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Raven stuttered.

"Go away."

Raven lowered her head in defeat and silently turned away from Beast Boy, slowly walking back out into the hallway and hearing a quiet whoosh as Beast Boy's door closed behind her. She was glad his back had been facing her, as tears were welling up in her eyes. Fighting them back, she would not let herself cry. Raven did not know how to feel, so confused by what was happening.

They had given Terra everything she could ever want—a home, her own room, their friendship. Still she betrayed them to Slade, turning her back on the Titans after they had welcomed her with open arms. Despite this Beast Boy loved her and was willing to push Raven aside at the slightest chance of Terra coming back. Even at the beginning of their tumultuous relationship, when Raven and Beast Boy represented the epitome of a bad relationship, she still risked her own life to save his. Yet that meant nothing to him.

Raven had been an outsider for nearly her entire life, but even this rejection came as a shock. She had always despised Terra, her suspicion and reluctance proving accurate. Even fearing what Terra could become, Raven had not objected to Beast Boy's insistence that she be allowed to join the Titans. He could barely acknowledge her when Terra was around, and nothing seems to have changed. Raven fought alongside him, saved his life and reached out to him, but Beast Boy still chose the floozy who lied to them, opened the Tower to attack from Slade's army and then rejected him, refusing to admit the existence of their past.

She was furious. Controlling her emotions was paramount, but Raven allowed herself a moment of anger and frustration. Raven sought only to comfort him, but he lay there bewailing Terra, and Raven was not going to play runner up to some pseudo-relationship between Beast Boy and Terra.

She reached up, wiping away the tears in her eyes with her sleeve. Terra had sold out her friends on a whim and tried to kill all of them. As near as Raven could tell, the only reason for this heinous and cowardly reversal was because Terra believed Beast Boy himself had betrayed her confidence by informing Robin about her lack of control. When Terra returned, she feigned friendship to gain access to the Tower and their weaknesses, and nearly eradicated them, feeding on a twisted sense of pleasure during the attacks. As Raven was pulled under the muddy water in that facility, Terra had a sadistic smile on her face. No measure of remorse, no level of redemption could ever erase the memory of Terra that Raven held in her mind. When she thought of that weak, pathetic girl, it was only a dark smile that Raven saw.

And yet it was her that Beast Boy was in love with! Raven clenched her teeth, squeezed her fingers together into a tight fist and pounded on the wall beside her, feeling a sharp jolt of pain shoot up her arm. Emotional outbursts were uncharacteristic of Raven, but Terra had always brought out the worst in her. Ignoring the intense burning in her knuckles, Raven raised her head upwards, opened her mouth and pulled a large gulp of air down into her lungs, deeply exhaling after a moment, in an attempt to calm herself. She stared at her bloodshot hand, tenderly moving the fingers.

"I need to meditate," she whispered to herself. Anger was far too dangerous an emotion if left uncontrolled. Devastating in its power and destruction, unbridled rage was something Raven could not afford to feel, regardless of the circumstances. Trying times like these truly tested Raven's self control, and she always came out the stronger for it. This time would be no different from the others; she would calm herself through meditation. As to how this might permanently affect their relationship, Raven did not want to hazard a guess.

Stopping in front of her room, Raven slid the door open and tossed her cloak onto her desk as she entered, kicking up a light puff of dust when it fell on several books she had not moved in days. The sheets rustled from a light gust of wind as Raven flew over her bed. Once above it she crossed her legs and gently wafted up and down in the air, closing her eyes after taking a deep breath.

Steadily the world around her peeled away, leaving only a pleasant, black void, and Raven finally felt at peace.

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So that was my emotional chapter. Hope it didn't put any of you off who were hoping for more action. Have no fear though – chapter 3 will be full of action!

And now for some review responses for those who were kind enough to review my first chapter:

robraefan – You are my first official reviewer, and that means I'll love you forever. Thanks for the wonderful words of encouragement, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed chapter 1 so much. I didn't think I'd be called a wonderful writer so soon. You made my day.

Moving Mountains – Yeah, I knew it was you right away, Hollie. No worries. Glad you loved the descriptive action stuff. But I hoped you also enjoyed the emotional stuff this chapter. And this is certainly not a one-shot (which is probably obvious, since you've already read chapter 2).

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – I'm pleased you also liked the action stuff. It's really what I do best. And, um, we already talked a few times, so I don't know what else to put here. Hope you don't feel shafted because your response is a little shorter.


	3. Unforeseen Dangers

Hope everyone enjoyed my emotion filled second chapter. Now get ready for my personal favourite chapter. In this chapter I get back to my specialty – action. There're some thrilling fight scenes in this chapter that I know everyone will love.

But you guys might be confused at times. The Titans are put right in the middle of something, and you (like them) won't know quite what until the very end of the chapter – even then it's still kind of mysterious. To be honest, this is the first time that I mess with your heads. But really, nothing brings a reader back more than a little mystery. So, enjoy chapter three.

But first, reviewer responses:

RaeRobFan – Whew! Thanks for telling me you and robraefan are different people, because I didn't even notice the difference. Good thing you mentioned it – I'd hate to have Bob come after me, right? But I'm thrilled you've enjoyed the story so far.

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – I took your advice and put the couple pairing in the summary of my story. Pretty good advice I think, thanks for giving it to me.

ravenslair – As I said, I've never really written emotional stuff, so it's really good to hear that you thought it was well done. And yes, for now Raven pines over BB, but their conversation is what begins to push her away from him.

serasvictoria666 – Don't let the second chapter fool you – this will be a Robin/Raven story. Raven's pissed at BB now, and that's one of the things that pushes her away from him and toward Robin. You'll see soon enough. Oh, and feel free to give me the list of why you think Robin and Raven belong together if you want. I mean really, it would only give me ideas.

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"Ah yeah," Cyborg let out triumphantly. "These waffles are looking sweet."

"They sure smell sweet," Robin replied, taking a good whiff in through his nose and eagerly licking his lips as Cyborg placed the large plate of waffles down on the counter.

"Please, I am confused. Why is it that I cannot coat the waffles in the diced pickles?" Starfire asked, a depressed look on her face.

"You mean the relish? Man, that stuff was old when we were dealing with Trigon. I could've sworn I heard it say something to me when I got out the butter." Cyborg shuddered as he finished talking, nervously eying the fridge.

"Sorry, Star," Robin began, "we just haven't had a chance to buy anymore."

"Aren't you normally happy with mustard anyways?"

"Most certainly. But I have recently discovered the sweetness of the relish. It is most pleasant to behold." Suddenly forgetting about the relish, Starfire's face was full of smiles again as she snatched up the mustard from the counter. She shook it with a mighty vigour and loosed the top, pouring out thick, yellow mustard onto her waffles with an entirely unhealthy look of delight.

Despite this unappetizing display, Cyborg greedily crammed waffles into his gaping mouth, making unintelligible sounds all the while. Robin, the only Titan of the three with some level of etiquette, slowly began to carve up his waffles with a knife, gingerly drizzling syrup over top.

The remainder of the meal passed in silence, each Titan displaying a particular eating style. Once every waffle was gone (Cyborg was only too willing to devour Raven's share), the plates were casually tossed into the sink, leaving them for another time.

"So, combat practice?" Cyborg asked hopefully. He pivoted from one foot to the other, punching the air as he did so, obviously excited at the potential action.

A loud wail erupted from the loudspeakers inside the Tower, cutting off Cyborg and travelling through the air with a prolonged echo. Emergency lights descended from the ceiling, casting a crimson flood before them and creating a melange of shadows in the grand room.

"Alright!" Cyborg shouted triumphantly, pumping his fist into the air. "I'll take real combat over practice any day of the week."

Starfire had a concerned look on her face, far less eager than the mechanical freight train. "What is the problem?"

Flipping open his communicator, Robin announced, "A bank alarm's gone off downtown. That's all we've got for information."

Behind Robin, a dark silhouette rose from the ground, forming into a discernible shape. Raven was rubbing her forehead and it seemed as though her mind was elsewhere, for she merely stood still, not even looking up at the others.

"Beast Boy?" Starfire questioned, waiting for him to come through the main doors.

"Don't worry about him," Robin responded. "He's not himself right now and might get hurt. We don't want to take that chance."

The others nodded their silent acquiescence, exiting the room behind Robin.

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A slight breeze blew through the street, kicking up Raven and Starfire's hair. There was an eerie silence outside the bank, which showed no external damage. More disturbing for Robin, however, was the absolute lack of people in the area.

"Something doesn't feel right," Raven muttered, staring into one of the mammoth glass windows. Sunlight bounced off the surface, giving the bank a peaceful, almost surreal appearance. "I can't sense anything."

"There's definitely a weird feeling," Robin added. "But we won't figure anything out until we check for ourselves."

"Then let's get in there!" Cyborg bellowed, thrusting open the front doors. Cyborg froze with his arms remaining outstretched, holding the doors open, and his eyes widened to their limit. Unable to let out a sound, he remained still, terrified at the man standing before him. Spikes stuck out from his rounded shoulders and smooth steel forearms, the hauntingly familiar grey and red screaming out at Cyborg. He stared back with his lips spread in a twisted smile, portions of his face covered by grotesque red machinery. Shifting his weight forward, a powerful fist shot upwards, with jagged, deep scarlet telekinetic energy bursting forth.

A feeling of weightlessness crawled outwards from Cyborg's stomach to the rest of his body, the world rushing by terrifyingly fast. Coming down with a tremendous intensity, Cyborg easily penetrated the concrete, impelling large, ragged chunks of the pavement into the air. Stars and tiny pinpricks of light danced across Cyborg's vision, leaving him disoriented and confused. Rubbing the side of his head, Cyborg was able to overcome his dizziness, but the pounding shock remained. There were only two words in his mind: Brother Blood.

Clawing himself forward, Cyborg frantically searched for the other Titans, but none were visible. They had all vanished. Steadying himself on a thick, round section of concrete, Cyborg was able to climb to his feet, aching from the potent strike. The street was utterly deserted, but for the slender, malevolent man marching towards him.

"How did you get here?" Cyborg demanded, his fury and fear mixing together.

"Come now, Cyborg," Brother Blood said, chuckling pompously, "did you really think you'd seen the last of me? You know better than anyone that machines can be repaired."

Cyborg's robotic eye glowed brighter with rage and the corner of his lips curled upwards. "What do you want?"

"There's nothing grandiose about this my friend—I've merely come for revenge. I'm going to dismantle you piece by piece, and I'm going to get a great level of enjoyment by doing so." A warped grin spread across his face.

Opening his mouth in a deafening howl, Cyborg lifted his right arm. A dark hole opened in the middle of the appendage at its end, spewing forth azure energy. As it streaked forwards, Brother Blood twisted his body sideways and leaned backwards, letting the blast harmlessly shoot past. Cyborg discharged two more bursts from his sonic cannon, the first splashing against a glowing red telekinetic shield. Brother Blood spun to his right, so agile he appeared to float over the cement, easily avoiding the second of Cyborg's rapid shots.

Bending his knees to build momentum, Brother Blood leapt off the ground, extending his leg outwards as he spun around. The outside edge of the foot struck his foe in the left ear, thrusting Cyborg's head in the opposite direction. Quickly regaining himself, Cyborg let fly with his fists, barely grazing Brother Blood's cold, metallic chest. As Cyborg came forward, Brother Blood's retreat was graceful and smooth, darting in and out to avoid the blows.

Steadying his back foot, Brother Blood propelled his fist straight ahead, hammering it into Cyborg's stomach and driving him into the air. Cyborg's back crashed onto the road first, and he felt a throbbing pain through his shoulders and upper back as he tumbled backwards, legs and a hulking chest appearing directly in front of his face for but a moment as he flipped over, landing on his stomach.

Straining to lift his head, Cyborg awkwardly rolled to the side, propping himself up using his elbows. Crackling electricity sparked and surged over sections of his body from the heavy damage he had sustained. His mouth was dry and coarse.

"You're just as pathetic and outmatched as when I last saw you, Cyborg."

"And you're just as overconfident," Cyborg retorted, rising to his knees. "I beat you before. And I'll do it again."

"I disagree," Brother Blood responded coldly. Harshly bellowing, Brother Blood lunged forward, his foot smashing into Cyborg's chin, sending a tremendous shockwave through his inner systems and knocking him flat against the unforgiving concrete. The foul and iniquitous man strode forward and lifted his foot, bringing it down atop Cyborg's chest. An ear-splitting squeal rang out as he pushed down vigorously, grinding his sole against the metal. "This time will be different."

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The others had all disappeared. Robin searched for answers, replaying the last several moments in his mind, but was left empty handed. He would be forced to confront her alone once more.

"How'd you free yourself, Rouge?"

Her long, pointed fingers were tapping against her thigh and she stood perfectly still, her other hand hanging freely. "It does not matter."

"Why are you here?" Robin clenched his teeth and leaned slightly forward, preparing for a lightning strike from the damnable woman.

Madame Rouge let her lips form into a sneer and laughed derisively. "I would think it obvious."

"The Brotherhood's dead, Rouge. There's no need to do this."

"Perhaps not. But I will still enjoy it."

Swiftly reacting, Robin dropped to the ground as an arm lashed out, and nimbly kicked himself to the side before the elongated limb smashed down at him. The limb stretched farther, curving around Robin and quickly surrounding him, ominously similar to the way a cobra wraps around its victim, crushing the life from it.

Robin leapt backwards, arching back and tucking his legs in, narrowly avoiding the deadly grasp of Madame Rouge, and spread out his fingers as his palms hit the pavement first, moving with enough speed that he flipped over, delicately landing on his feet. Rouge's other arm sped towards him like a projectile and Robin somersaulted out of the way, bouncing off his back and shoulders before he found his footing again.

Robin charged forward and flipped over an extended arm that whipped at him from the side, snatching a birdarang from his belt as he came down on the firm road without having lost pace. Tightly squeezing one wing, Robin rapidly stabbed at Madame Rouge, using the razor end of the other wing as his dagger. Rouge jerked back and forth, bending and contorting to avoid the blows, her body losing all shape and form.

As Robin swiped his birdarang in a downward slash, Rouge brought her leg up, harshly connecting with Robin's wrist and loosening his grip, sending the birdarang sailing through the air. Wickedly distorting herself, Rouge twirled like a twister, completing several rotations before the back of her fist slammed into Robin's chest, propelling him to the pavement. Gasping, Robin could actually feel the air being sucked out of his lungs from the intensity of the strike.

Rouge wound up and swung violently, barely missing Robin as he cartwheeled away from her, stopping directly in front of a stone building, his cape fluttering in the wind. Slowly raising her arms, Rouge let her lips spread into a smile and then shot out her fingers like knives. Robin darted to the side, leaving the daggers to crash into the building behind, breaking through several inches of solid stone. Cracks branched outwards from her imbedded fingers and small flecks of stone descended to the sidewalk.

Opening his fist, Robin hurled three small silver orbs in an arch, bouncing and clinking as they made contact with the pavement. Bursting apart, tiny flames and searing hot smoke exploded beneath Rouge's massive extensions, causing her to shriek. As the smoke cleared, Robin could see her arms had gone limp and flaccid, lying still on the cement with thin pillars of steam curling upwards from them. Robin let out a furious cry and pounced at her, feeling his chest tighten.

One of Rouge's arms sprang to life, snaking back and wrapping around Robin's ankle, viciously yanking him in the opposite direction and easily tossing him aside. Robin smacked against the road and grunted, rolling uncontrollably, the sky and ground merging into one indistinguishable mess. Robin slid to a stop, a swarm of dust rising up behind him. Lifting himself up, Robin rose to his hands and knees carefully, keeping his mouth wide open to bring in large amounts of air. Robin's lower back felt stiff and the joints in his arms and legs ached.

"This has been a disappointment," Madame Rouge uttered, her hand once more resting on her hip. "Your performance leaves much to be desired."

Robin did not bother to reply, merely taking deep breaths in, straining to hold himself up.

Madame Rouge sighed and rolled her eyes. "Then we will have to end this."

--------------------

Wrong. It was all wrong.

Starfire hovered a foot above the sidewalk, her fists squeezed tightly shut and her eyebrows sinking ever lower in a glare. The corner of her lip was curled upwards, baring grinding teeth. She could feel her blood beginning to simmer from rage, and yet goose bumps covered every bit of exposed skin; an unpleasant chill ran down her spine. "You cannot be here," she furiously stated.

"You're not glad to see me, dear sister?" Blackfire tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder and smiled innocently. "Oh, but it's been so long since we've seen each other."

"You were banished from Tamaran and sent to the moons of Drenthax IV."

"With you to thank of course."

Starfire continued, ignoring her sister. "You were to be kept under guard. How is it you are here?"

Blackfire gently floated down, touching her feet to the cement. "I wouldn't have been able to get off myself," she said, cocking her head to the side. "But Robin put in a good word for me."

Starfire took a step backwards from shock. "I do not believe you!"

"Robin's asked me to join the Titans," Blackfire said, smirking.

"Lies!"

"Don't believe me? Ask Robin about it." Blackfire pointed a delicate, thin finger over Starfire's shoulder.

Starfire found herself short of breath as she turned around to look at the other Titans, horrified her sister might be telling the truth. "She tells lies, does she not? It is not true, is it?"

Robin walked towards Blackfire, brushing past Starfire as if she wasn't even there. "Of course it's true," Robin casually responded.

Gasping for air, Starfire could feel her heart skip a beat. Sweat was now pouring off her, covering her in a glistening shine, and her stomachs were tightly wound in knots. "But…"

"We definitely need someone strong like her on the team," Cyborg announced, coming over and giving Blackfire a huge high five.

"She's too valuable," Robin said. "She brings stuff to the team you never could."

Blackfire wrapped an arm around Robin's back and placed the other hand on his chest. She lightly kissed his cheek and let her head fall on his shoulder, her hair cascading over.

Starfire looked back at Raven, who still had not gone over to Blackfire. "Raven, you do not feel this way, correct?" she asked, barely able to get the words out, a tiny spark of hope in her voice.

"I've always liked Blackfire more. All you ever care about is hair accessories and going to the mall. Blackfire is so much more than that."

"But she is bad!" Starfire shouted, standing at her straightest and pumping her fists downwards. Robin shrugged in an uncaring way, ignoring Starfire's pleas. Raven and Cyborg merely stood still, staring back unsympathetically.

Hanging her head low, Starfire's anger began to fade. Tears started falling from Starfire's eyes. She buried her face in her hands and fell to her knees, scraping them on the rough concrete.

"Here we go," Robin said sarcastically, shaking his head.

Cyborg nodded. "This girl's way too emotional."

"Pretty pathetic," Raven added.

"She always was the weaker one," Blackfire commented. Letting go of Robin she marched over to Starfire, towering above her and casting her in shadow. "Why do you even bother making friends, little sister?" she said condescendingly. "They all end up hating you anyways."

Robin stood beside Blackfire, his face devoid of emotion. "Now that Blackfire's here, we don't need you anymore. You've been replaced."

Without saying a word, Starfire pulled her hands away from her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, and shot up into the sky, leaving her friends behind.

--------------------

She was in a state of absolute panic. Raven whirled around, the quick movements tossing her hair and causing her cloak to whip up behind her. Her entire body was trembling and was already covered in a cold sweat, making her leotard cling to her skin in an uncomfortably sticky way. Raven took several small steps backwards, looking up at the sky, to the left, down the street, her eyes shifting continuously.

"You aren't here," she whispered, the words barely escaping her coarse, dry mouth. "There's no way you can be here."

Deep, rumbling laughter sent a shiver through Raven's body, but he did not speak. Raven twisted around again on the bright, yellow median line, frantically trying to locate him, but the street was barren. "You can't be here." Her voice was full of fear.

"Did you ever truly believe you could be rid of me?"

"I destroyed you!" Raven spat out. She tried to close her hands into fists, but they were shaking too much.

"You cannot destroy me, dear daughter." There was a long silence. "True evil can never be destroyed."

Raven never concerned herself for even a moment that Trigon could have survived on that day long ago. When Raven unleashed her powers and ended Trigon's rule, it was the first time she had ever felt free. A part of Trigon had always existed inside her. Every waking moment she could feel him, and was thus never able to lose control of her emotions for even an instant, fearing it would release something truly dark, especially after one frighteningly close incident she had barely overcome.

It was for this reason that Raven believed Trigon was gone. Feeling no inner presence, Raven had finally allowed herself to be at peace. Despite this, a part of her always feared he might return. It was for this reason that she was afraid rather than suspicious.

"How did you survive?"

"You, like all the others before you, merely delayed my ascent. You did not vanquish me."

"I won't allow you entrance to this realm. I was foolish then to believe it was my destiny, my purpose. I'm far stronger now." Raven's trembling ceased and her voice became filled with fierce determination. "My friends have given me strength."

Dominating laughter bellowed in the air and a powerful gust of wind ripped down the street, forcing Raven to close her eyes and jerking her violet hair and cloak into a frenzy. "Where are your friends now? In your darkest hour they have abandoned you."

"They have not!" Raven screamed. "They would never abandon me. I can still feel them. I know they're here." Raven had been shaken and confused by her friends' disappearance, but she _could_ feel them. It was as if they were still with her, but not visible. Try as she might, Raven could not reach out to them mentally. Raven was inclined to believe Trigon was using his powers to somehow block her own abilities, but she began to sense something was wrong. The feeling was a strange one, but it was there.

"This is the reason I sired you. You were born so I could rule the earth."

Raven froze. Her father had said those exact words to her before and they did not belong in the conversation now. It was as if that phrase had simply been taken from her memories. Sensing something was dangerously wrong now, Raven summoned immense strength in an attempt to reach out to her friends telepathically.

Tremendous aching shot through her skull and Raven let out a scream, grabbing her forehead and collapsing to the ground. The pain subsided immediately and Raven slowly lifted her head, gasping for breath, her eyes wide with shock.

Something was wrong, but it had nothing to do with Trigon. Raven could sense there was someone in her mind, a woman, altering her reality. She was in the midst of an illusion cast over her, and her father had been pulled out of the deepest parts of her memory.

Raven was not in a patient mood. False images were being created, someone was toying with her mind, and Raven wanted to clutch at her throat and rip her out. Under no circumstances was anyone to enter Raven's room, much less her mind. With fury overtaking Raven, tiny black sparks began bursting above and beside her and the very air began to sizzle, obscuring the world around her. Staring up at the sky, Raven opened her mouth in a blood-curdling scream, unleashing all her dark powers. Pouring out from her body, blackness surged in all directions, overtaking everything in its path. The world, black for a moment, phased back to colour, but was no more than a blur, and Raven distinctly heard a chilling shriek.

Her vision cleared, leaving Raven deeply disturbed. Stone debris was scattered on the road, the windshields of parked cars were cracked and punctured, and Robin was scrambling backwards on the ground, holding his hand out in front of him, as if he was trying to ward off some unseen terror.

------------------------------

What'd I tell you? Pretty great fight sequences, huh? I'm ecstatic about how they turned out. And I'm sure most of you were pretty gosh darn stupefied at some point. But Raven revealed a bit for all of you. Don't worry though, the next chapter will explain everything.


	4. Recovery

You can all stop being confused now, because there's a lot of explaining in this chapter. It's really not that long a chapter though. hope no one minds. And, I've really got nothing else to say. So, here are review responses:

Serasvictoria666 – I am thrilled you're enjoying the story. I hope you survived all that suspense I put you through. Never fear, answers are here! There will still be a lot of mystery surrounding this woman though – hope you can bear it.

RaeRobFan – You can only control him sometimes? Hmmm, I'd better watch what I say then. And to be honest, I suck at writing humour. I'd like to be good at it, but it just never works for me. So to hear you laughed at some stuff makes me quite happy indeed.

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – Wisdom indeed. I can tell you're full of it. Feel free to keep offering me that good stuff. Ooh, and you're on to something with the fears. See what I mean about wisdom? You're on the ball. But what is happening exactly? I won't tell just yet.

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Raven was at Robin's side in a flash, but he had already lowered his arm and stopped backing away, looking around in utter confusion.

"Raven…what happened?"

"Robin, it wasn't real. Whatever you saw wasn't really there."

"No," Robin replied, using the wall behind him to climb to his feet. "I fought Madame Rouge. I know I did. She just vanished from in front of me though."

Raven shook her head. "Trust me on this, it didn't happen."

"But how…?"

Catching a bright glint of sunlight out of the corner of her eye, Raven turned and saw Cyborg lying still on the sidewalk, partly obscured by a station wagon. She flew across the road, barely avoiding skimming the concrete, and touched down at his side. Gently putting her hand on his shoulder, she called his name.

Red glowed to life on one side of his face as he came back online, his real eye snapping open. Cyborg sat himself up and rubbed his head, looking as perplexed as Robin. "Raven, what the…?"

"Cyborg, how do you feel?"

"I've felt better, that's for sure." He rubbed his eye and then finally looked up at Raven. "Where'd you go?" he asked.

"I didn't go anywhere. I was here all along."

"You disappeared. Everyone did."

"Cyborg, are you alright?" Robin asked as he approached, staring down at him and offering his hand to help Cyborg get back onto his feet.

"I don't see Starfire anywhere," Raven said. She touched her fingertips to her forehead, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds. "I can still sense her…barely. She's in a lot of pain, but I can't be certain."

"You don't know?" Robin asked, looking surprised. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm having trouble focusing, that's all. I just feel kind of strange."

"Someone mind telling me what happened?" Cyborg asked, shifting his stare between Robin and Raven.

"We were all under an illusion," Raven said.

"An illusion?"

"An illusion," Raven replied, nodding her head.

"But I could've sworn I was fighting Brother Blood."

"And I fought Madame Rouge," Robin added. "It was just so real."

"I thought Trigon came back. But none of it actually happened."

Robin seemed sceptical. "Then how did all this happen to us?"

"I could feel someone inside my head. A woman was projecting a false reality."

"You mean someone was creating images," Cyborg remarked.

"Exactly. Whoever it was, she has powerful mental abilities. She manipulated our minds."

"But why were we all under separate illusions? And why did each of us see who we did?"

"Because they're our fears," Robin declared firmly. "Brother Blood, Madame Rouge, Trigon—each of them frighten us on a different level than anything else, as much as we don't want to admit it."

"That's what I began to think," Raven said. "She entered the deepest parts of our subconscious and came out with something that truly terrified us. She made us live out our fears."

Robin cocked his head to one side, staring at Raven. "Did you snap us out of it somehow?"

"I think so," Raven replied. "When I sensed she was inside my mind, I tore her out. I guess it was so jarring for her that she was forced to release her hold on you two as well."

"So, do we have any control over this?" Cyborg began, pausing to rub his forehead. "I mean Brother Blood nearly destroyed me. I was totally outmatched."

Robin nodded his head in agreement. "I was too. Madame Rouge bested me in every way, regardless of what I tried."

"That's because it's her reality," Raven remarked. "She can twist and bend it to produce whatever outcome she wants. Remember, since these are our fears, we don't confront them well."

"You mean we fight poorly against our fears," Cyborg added.

Raven barely lowered her head in a nod.

"But the fight seemed so close, almost as if I could win," Robin said.

"She has to keep it as real as possible, in order to maintain the façade. These are all enemies we've beaten before, but just barely. The closer it stays, the more believable it is and the more we begin to believe we might win."

The top corner of Robin's mask lifted slightly upwards as Robin raised one of his eyebrows. "What would have happened if you hadn't knocked her out of our heads?"

"I don't know. There's no way we can really know. She might just be playing around with our minds. If that's the case we'd probably be fine regardless of what illusions each of us are put through. More likely, though, is that she's a dangerous lunatic. Robin, when Slade's mask released that chemical agent your mind was put through intense stress. And your body suffered from the stress your mind was under."

"I remember," Robin replied. "I came so close to the breaking point."

"Well, I think this woman's power might be greater than that. The illusions she created were pretty short. And yet, just look at the damage you two did."

"I think you're right," Robin replied, pointing to a stone building across the street. "I watched Madame Rouge send razor sharp fingers into that stone, leaving large holes."

Cyborg shook his head. "I don't see anything."

"Exactly. But look at the middle of the road there. Small holes from the explosives I threw at Madame Rouge."

Cyborg turned his head, looking over his shoulder at the disfigured road. "I tore through the pavement fighting Brother Blood."

Robin ran a gloved hand through his stiffly gelled hair. "The illusions don't leave a trace. What we see isn't real, but what we do is."

"Oh man," Cyborg said. "So if we can do damage, these illusions could cause us to actually hurt someone."

"Or ourselves," Raven replied. "This woman could get any of us killed without having to come near us. And the whole time we'd think what we were seeing was real. It's just like what happened to you, Robin. The stress on our minds could destroy our bodies."

"We have to find her," Robin ordered. "As well as Starfire. Something hit her hard and we need to make sure she's okay. You sure you can't feel anything, Raven?"

"I really can't feel much. She's in pain, but I don't know if it's emotional or if she's seriously hurt. I'm not used to anyone being inside my head. It's…unnerving."

Cyborg raised his right arm and tapped the small screen, bringing it to life. "My scanners are working just fine." The display flashed and beeped twice. "There, I've got a lock on her."

"Good," Robin said. "Cyborg, go find her and make sure she's fine. Raven, you and I are going to track down this woman. We'll need your mental abilities to beat her."

"And BB? We could use the support."

Robin flipped open his communicator, firmly pressing the side with his thumb. He stared at the screen for nearly a minute as it remained a fuzzy grey, but there was no response. "It's just as well," he finally said, closing the small device. "Considering the state he's in, it would be far too much for him to handle."

"How're you two going to go about finding this woman?" Cyborg asked.

"I have no idea," Robin answered. "You think you can locate her, Raven?"

Raven shrugged, looking doubtful. "I wouldn't count on it. My head is pounding, like I've got a migraine almost, so I really don't know how much use I'll be."

"Then we'll just have to hope we can come up with something. In the meantime, Cyborg, get Starfire. Explain everything to her and then conduct your own search for this woman with her. If either of you see anything, and I mean anything, contact us. There'll be no way of knowing whether what we see or hear is real, so be suspicious of everything."

"You got it, Robin."

"Take care of yourself."

A wide grin spread across Cyborg's face. "Always do." Looking at his forearm, Cyborg turned away from Robin and Raven and jogged off down the street, kicking up small puffs of dirt with the first few steps.

Robin waited until Cyborg disappeared over the horizon before speaking. "Raven, is everything okay with you? I've never known you to be so unfocused."

"I just feel weird having someone in my mind, that's all."

"I get the feeling it's more than that." Despite the mask, Raven could feel his eyes staring into hers, trying to glean some information from her. "You seemed really out of it even back when the alarm went off inside the Tower, like your mind was somewhere else."

"I told you, it's nothing." Raven pulled the hood on her cloak up, letting it settle atop her head and casting her face in shadow. Taking several steps backwards, she turned around, saying, "Let's just start looking for this woman."

"Yeah, you're right," Robin replied, catching up with her as they walked down the sidewalk. "We've got work to do." With Raven, there was no point in pushing the issue. Robin knew the conversation was done; he'd get nothing more out of her.

Robin cared deeply for all the Titans, but it was with Raven that he shared a special mental connection. For a brief moment she had seen into his mind, leaving a tiny portion of herself behind. While Robin had certainly not been given the opportunity to see Raven's mind, there was still a strange link between them. He doubted it was Raven's intention to create such a link, but it did exist…barely. It seemed to be little more than a window, through which Robin gained a heightened perception. Since the moment that bridge was forged, he had possessed somewhat of an intuition regarding Raven's feelings and emotions.

This was a valuable tool for Robin. The other Titans had no difficulty displaying their emotions, even when they wished for nothing more than privacy. The last day had proved all too clearly how one member of the team could react when strong feelings were involved. Normally the most outgoing of the team, Beast Boy had barricaded himself in his room. His actions were easy to predict and interpret.

Raven, however, was always slightly distant anyways, so her reticence was not an indicator in itself. Because of this, Robin was glad he had some sense as to how Raven felt. At the moment, Robin could feel something was different about her. Their bond was too weak for Robin to realize exactly what was troubling her, but he knew something was.

Over time Raven always came around, and time was exactly what Robin was going to give her. Eventually Raven would confide in Robin, as she usually did. He could tell it was difficult for Raven to share her emotions, for she had grown so used to bottling them up all her life. If their conversation, which had ended so abruptly minutes ago, was any indication, Raven still sought solitude when she was troubled.

For the time being, Robin would give Raven breathing room. With a dangerous and frighteningly powerful enemy targeting them, Robin had a greater priority anyways.

--------------------------------------------------

So, for those of you who haven't realized it yet (hopefully most of you have so that the shock won't be so much), Beast Boy's role in the story is done. Finito. Now, before anyone starts spitting venom at me, let me just explain myself. I love Beast Boy, I really do. He's great. But he just didn't fit into this story. He's depressed about "Terra" and would be so totally and completely vulnerable against powerful emotional illusions. So he would suffer…extremely. And I thought it better that he just sit at the Tower than be subjected to that. So, I'm really doing a nice thing by not putting him in. Besides, he's so gloomy right now that he wouldn't be cracking jokes or anything.

Never fear though, he's going to play a huge role in my next story (which I have great ideas for already). If you're a big BB fan and can't stand any stories without him, then feel free to ignore me until I've started uploading my second story. I won't be upset.


	5. Widening Hunt and Revelations

Okay, so a lot of stuff is going to be happening in this chapter. Lots of strong emotional stuff. I hope you're all ready for it. But first, as always, reviewer responses:

Moving Mountains – Better and better by the chapter? What a sweet thing to say. I'm so very pleased you're enjoying it so much. I have a feeling that you'll keep thinking that after this chapter (although I might just be a little biased to think it's great).

RaeRobFan – I'm glad you enjoyed my way of dismissing Beast Boy. See, I can be funny at times. Just not in the actual story itself. I know you'll like this chapter a lot. I'm already looking forward to your response.

Serasvictoria666 – I'm glad you like. So you want BB away from Raven too, huh? My, we think alike. Let me tell you, a vulnerable Beast Boy and a vulnerable Raven could make for some bad situations. I figured I'd play dad and separate the hormone driven kids. Now Robin and Raven can be together. And of course you're right – Robin and Raven are staying put. Much better that way.

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – Yes, alas BB would have suffered greatly if I kept him in the story. See, I can be compassionate. And yes, the Cyborg/Starfire discussion is interesting to say the least. It took me so long to get it right, so I hope you're appreciative. Oh, and I'm officially giving you your warning (you know what I mean)

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Cyborg brushed aside some low hanging branches with his hand, being careful to step over a fallen tree as he did so. A cool breeze blew through the trees, rustling them gently. The foliage swayed in the wind, almost seeming to dance.

Several birds, sitting high atop the trees, let out loud chirps, singing beautiful songs. Cyborg looked up as he continued forward, trying to find the small birds, but they were too well hidden in the thick leaves high above.

Glancing down at his forearm, Cyborg checked to make sure he was still on track. A faint red light pulsated ever so slightly in the centre at the very top of his display, indicating Starfire was still directly ahead of him. As far as Cyborg could tell, she hadn't moved since he had begun monitoring her. But at the very least the steady heartbeat meant she was still alive.

The soft grass on the hillside cushioned Cyborg's feet as he took each step, climbing ever higher through the forest on the sloping landscape. Pushing his way past clumps of bushes and large trees, Cyborg emerged from the forest into a small meadow overlooking the city. Starfire was sitting in the middle of the clearing, hugging her legs tightly against her chest.

Cyborg touched his forearm, closing the scanner program, and slowly walked across the grass. "Starfire," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

"I am not," she replied softly. Starfire turned her head to look up at Cyborg. Bags hung under her puffy eyes, and her cheeks were stained from tears. "How could you say those things?"

Cyborg knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What you think you saw didn't actually happen, Star."

Her emerald eyes stared back, unflinching but full of confusion. "You cannot undue what you said."

Cyborg shook his head. "No, I seriously mean it didn't really happen."

"You are not making sense." Starfire lowered her head, resting her chin on the tops of her knees. "Please go. I know all of you wish for me to leave."

Cyborg lowered himself to the grass beside Starfire and stared out at the cityscape. "Starfire, I promise you that's not true."

"You are horrible to play this trick on me."

Looking as though she was about to stand, Cyborg placed his hand on her shoulder once more. "It's no trick. This woman was messing with our minds."

Starfire sniffed and wiped the corner of her eye. "What is it you mean?"

"Some woman used our fears against us. She created images of what scared us the most. I saw Brother Blood and Robin fought Madame Rouge. Raven thought Trigon came back."

"I do not understand."

"Okay, let me try to explain. What happened to you after we arrived at the bank downtown?"

"But you were there."

"Yeah, but I saw something different. Someone created a different reality for each one of us. Brother Blood attacked me. Something happened to you that didn't happen to any of us. So what did you see?"

"When my sister came, you and the others instructed me to leave. You made it clear that I was to be replaced by her."

"You saw each one of us?"

She slowly nodded her head.

"But if I was fighting Brother Blood and Raven saw Trigon, how could we have been talking to you?"

"I am unsure what you mean."

"Raven discovered a woman inside her mind. She was creating images, putting us all through our fears. You remember when Blackfire was here and those crazy probes were after you? You thought we all liked her more. How did that make you feel?"

"I was unhappy and afraid."

"This woman used our fears against us. She entered our minds and found out what each of us are afraid of. She knows that one of your fears was being replaced and having us abandon you."

"So that did not truly happen?"

"Trust me, Star, it didn't happen. We would never replace you. You're family."

Starfire smiled and leaned against Cyborg's shoulder. "This woman, who is she?"

"We don't know. Raven felt her and broke her hold on all of us. Robin and Raven are searching for her right now."

Starfire furrowed her eyebrows, looking concerned and upset. "Why would someone attack us this way? Who would want to damage our emotions?"

"I don't know," Cyborg replied. "But that's what we've got to find out."

------------------------

The sun slowly waned from view as it dipped over the horizon, casting the sky in a rich pinkish orange. Standing with crossed arms, Robin surveyed the streets from the roof of one of Jump City's taller buildings, his shadow gradually shrinking behind him. Lights steadily appeared in all directions below him, adjusting to the fading sky. Robin's cape danced rhythmically in the breeze, which was much stronger far above street level; even his rigidly gelled hair moved stiffly.

Raven stood several feet to Robin's right, quietly staring at the buildings that stretched for kilometres into the distance, strands of hair sporadically waving in front of her face. She felt the tiniest prick on her shoulder and turned her head to see a droplet of water begin to run down her arm. Raven looked up to the sky and was met by cool splashes on her cheeks and forehead.

"I hate rain," Raven mumbled, pulling her hood up.

Uncrossing his arms, Robin turned his palms upwards to face the sky, watching a small amount of water pool in the centre of his smooth gloves. "It's only a light rain."

"Doesn't mean I can't like it."

Robin smiled, letting his arms fall down to his side.

Two beeps fired off in succession, startling Robin. Regaining his composure, he unclipped the communicator from his belt and opened it. He was greeted to a smiling Cyborg. "Cyborg, have you found Starfire?"

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, I found our girl."

"Is she okay?"

"She's just fine. Now at least."

"What happened to her?"

"Star saw Blackfire."

"I should have guessed," Robin said. "Did she fight her?"

"Nope. Blackfire showed up and was welcomed into the group. We even told Star we didn't need her anymore."

"Starfire was afraid she was going to be replaced when we first met Blackfire. I'm not surprised that was the fear she saw. But everything's fine now?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. It took a lot of convincing, but she finally understands what happened."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Well, she's still a little shaken up. Star knows it wasn't real, but she's upset that someone would play with her emotions like that."

Robin paused to wipe a thin streak of water from beneath his eye. "Where is she now?"

"Flying over the city, looking for whoever it is we're looking for. I'm just about to start searching too. Maybe my scanners can pick something up."

"Let's hope one of us can."

"I take it you've had no luck?"

Robin sighed. "Nothing's happened since we split up."

"You think anything will happen?"

"I don't know what to think. There's no telling just how powerful she is—or what it is she's after."

"How's Raven feeling? Has she been able to sense anything?"

"Still doesn't feel like herself, so no."

"She'll get better. But do you think maybe we should break off the search for now? Give everyone a chance to get their strength back?"

"No. We've got to find her."

"I figured you'd say that. Thought I might as well ask. Alright, but we might meet up with you and Raven later to coordinate."

"Sounds good. Good luck."

"You too, Robin."

Robin snapped the communicator shut and slid it back on his belt, wiping more rain from his face. In the dimming light, his exposed skin glimmered from the moisture covering it. His vision was filled with thin lines falling from above. Robin looked over his shoulder at Raven, who had hunched her back and was staring straight ahead with a scowl, clearly displeased at the current circumstances. He couldn't help but smile faintly to himself, but did it discretely so Raven would not see. Looking forward again, Robin said, "Don't worry, it'll stop soon."

Raven did not reply, but did let her shoulders drop, no longer looking so unhappy. Then she said, "I'm glad Starfire's okay."

"Me too. I was really worried."

"I know," Raven replied. "I'm sorry I couldn't find her."

Robin turned around to look at Raven, noticing she appeared genuinely upset with herself. "Raven, there's no need to apologize. It's not your fault."

"I could've tried harder."

"Starfire's fine. There's no need to worry about it."

"I know. It's just that you wanted to rely on me to find her. And now you're relying on me again to find this woman. But I don't know if I can do it."

"It's okay if you can't. I know having her inside your head upset you."

Raven took a step to the side, turning away from Robin. "Actually, it's more than just that."

"Raven, what's wrong?"

Before she could answer, a high-pitched voice travelled through the air. "Robin!"

Robin and Raven whirled around to see Starfire descending to the building roof, waving furiously and sporting a gigantic smile on her face. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around Robin tightly, sighing happily. "I am elated to see you!"

"It's good to see you too," Robin said, holding his hands to her waist.

"Where's Cyborg?" Raven asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Starfire pulled away from Robin, keeping her hands firmly on his shoulders. "He has gone to check on Beast Boy. He was most concerned for him."

Raven looked at her suspiciously. "You got here awfully fast."

"I came right away. I thought it best to find you and Robin before continuing my search. This was a good idea, was it not?"

"Of course, Starfire," Robin said. Slowly he pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together. Starfire slid her hand up Robin's neck, running it through his jet-black hair. Closing her eyes, her lips locked with his, opening enough to slide her tongue into his mouth.

Raven could not react. She stood motionless, horrified at the sight. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly and her knees buckled. Raven clutched at her stomach, feeling a hollow pain, and air no longer passed into her lungs; she could not breathe. She tried to speak, but only a harsh scratching sound left her mouth.

Starfire pressed her lips to Robin's more firmly, rubbing her body against him. She opened one eye and her pupil focused on Raven, almost as if to say, _He's mine_.

"No," Raven choked out, barely a whisper. Raven closed her eyes tightly as water trickled out from the corners, quickly running down her already wet face. Her chest felt tense and throbbing erupted inside her head.

This could not be happening. Raven had already received deep wounds from Beast Boy earlier that day—another rejection was too heavy to bear. Robin would never simply kiss Starfire, especially with Raven beside him.

Raven's eyes snapped open, realizing the truth. She was right: Robin _never_ would simply kiss Starfire with Raven there. The soft tears flowing from her eyes dried up and strength returned to her body. Starfire and Robin flickered, becoming transparent before Raven's eyes. Their legs faded away, gradually building upwards, until their entire bodies had been consumed and were gone.

"I know you're here," Raven said.

"You're fairly impressive." The woman's voice was soft, almost tender. "Even in your weakened state you're able to resist me. But I doubt any of your friends are as strong."

"Don't you touch them."

The woman laughed harshly, the sound carrying through the still air. "Your strength surprised me the first time, but you won't be so lucky ever again."

"Who are you?" Raven demanded.

"Phobia."

The word echoed sonorously, rattling Raven. A bright flash of light burst out in front of Raven, and she thrust her arm upwards to shield her eyes from the intensity of it. It faded away instantaneously and she blinked several times, clearing her vision.

"Raven, are you alright?"

She lifted one eyelid, barely squinting, and Robin was standing in front of her, a look of concern on his face.

"The last thing you said was that it wasn't just having someone inside your head that was throwing you off. Then you started talking like someone else was here. Were you under another illusion?"

Raven placed her hand on her forehead, supporting a very weak head. "I was."

"How are you feeling?"

"Robin, can we get out of this rain? We need to talk."

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Each footstep rang out through the bare, empty building. Robin ran his hand along a wide, rusted steel column, which ran forty feet upwards to the ceiling. He stepped past the column, stumbling over a metal rod lying on the floor, and cursed under his breath. Dull light flowed through the wide windows running along the sides of the warehouse just below its ceiling, leaving the edifice cast mostly in shadows.

"Nice warehouse," Raven muttered.

"At least it's dry." Robin raised his hand, pointing to one of the warehouse walls. "Come on, I think there are some chairs over there."

The two walked toward the wall, carefully minding where they stepped. Reaching the wall, Robin felt the obstructions he had seen, relieved to find they were indeed chairs. Brushing some of the dust off it, he swivelled the wooden chair to face him and flopped down. The chair groaned and squeaked under Robin's fidgeting, until he had found himself a comfortable position. Raven lightly descended into one of the other chairs, barely making a noise.

"Okay Raven. We're out of the rain. You said we needed to talk."

Raven nodded in the darkness. "I want to tell you why I can't focus my powers."

"I thought you said it was because you weren't used to having someone in your head."

"That's part of it. But it's not why I was vulnerable to begin with."

"To begin with?" Robin asked. "So you _were_ distracted by something back in the Tower, before any of these illusions began."

"Yeah." Raven sat still, staring down at the floor. "I was confused."

"By what?"

"Beast Boy."

Robin leaned forward in his chair. "You were confused by Beast Boy? What do you mean?"

"When you guys were making lunch, I went into Beast Boy's room. I wanted to talk to him, to try to comfort him as best I could. He brushed me off like he didn't even care about me at all."

"He was thinking about Terra."

"That's the problem!" Raven blurted out, raising her head up. "I wanted to help him, but all he could think about was that bitch. She betrayed all of us and tried to kill us. And yet he cares more about her than he does about me."

"You love him, don't you?"

"No," Raven snapped, fiercely turning her head away. She sighed, looking back down at the ground. "I mean, I think I did. Maybe I still do, I don't know. I really can't say how I feel about him. It's just that it really hurts that he seems to care about her more than he does about me. I don't think I can love someone who would rather be with Terra."

"I don't doubt that he cares deeply about Terra. Maybe he even loves her. But I know he feels strongly about you too."

"He has a strange way of showing it. He couldn't care less that I was in the room with him. He just wanted me out."

Robin placed his hand on Raven's shoulder and gently squeezed. "He'll come around, don't worry."

"I don't even care anymore. I'm sick of playing number two to Terra. All she ever did was hurt him, but he'd still rather be with her." Raven took a few deep breaths and then looked up at Robin. "I'm sorry the way I acted earlier when you wanted to know if I was okay. I was just so furious with Beast Boy and I didn't want to talk about it. I took it out on you and I'm sorry for that."

Robin smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. You were upset." He took his hand off her shoulder and sat back. "So because of your emotions, you weren't as strong as you normally are?"

"Yeah. Because I was so confused, I became weaker. You know my powers are controlled by emotions. With so many feelings going through my mind I had a difficult time concentrating. It was really strange—I just couldn't focus at all. When I thought I saw Trigon, I couldn't even sense that someone else was there."

"I think I understand what you're talking about. Remember when we were stranded on that alien planet? While we were still on the space station, Cyborg had joked around about Starfire being my girlfriend and I shouted at him that she wasn't. Starfire thought that meant I didn't consider her a friend at all. She never told any of you, and neither did I, but she lost her powers for some time afterwards as a result."

"She lost her powers? But I thought Starfire's powers were triggered by an excess of emotions."

"They are," Robin replied. "But not negative ones. She was confused and anxious, like you are now. I guess you two are a bit similar like that, but in slightly different ways. Both of you had trouble controlling your powers after an emotionally straining event and neither of you could properly focus."

"So how'd she regain her powers?"

"We talked about her emotions and straightened things out. I made sure she knew that I cared about her and thought of her as a friend." Robin paused before continuing. "So what happened with you when that woman put herself in your mind on the rooftop?"

"I was stronger and was able to sense her sooner than I did before. I even talked to her."

"You did? What did she say?"

"It was only briefly. She said I might be strong, but that I couldn't protect you or the others."

"That makes finding her all the more important," Robin said.

"She also said her name was Phobia."

"Phobia," he replied, repeating Raven. "So why were you stronger than the first time? What made this time different?"

"It was because of what I saw. I realized how I really felt and what it was that I truly wanted."

"What?"

Raven kept her head down, but looked up, meeting Robin's eyes. The small amount of light still trickling in illuminated her features, making her look more beautiful than ever. "You, Robin."

Robin cleared his throat. "Me?"

Raven nodded, her hair swaying gently. "In the illusion I saw Starfire. She pressed her body against yours and began kissing you."

Robin sat still. "I don't understand."

"It made me realize that losing you like that is actually one of my greatest fears. I was so confused and angry with Beast Boy that I didn't realize how much I love you."

Robin stood up, taking several steps away from the chairs. He rubbed the back of his neck and then tugged on the collar of his cape and shirt, something he always did when hit by nerves.

"Phobia thought it would devastate me, and it almost did. But it's because I saw you and Starfire together that I became stronger. I'm not confused anymore, Robin. I know exactly how I feel about you now."

Robin turned to see Raven standing in front of her chair, breathing deeply. His own chest was beginning to tighten and his pulse was racing. Robin stumbled to find words. He was taken aback, caught so completely off guard by her.

"Raven, I…" Robin stuttered, unable to find the right words to say. He stared at Raven, who appeared so confident. Light glinted off her leotard, outlining her exquisite and delicate frame. As she came toward him slowly, suddenly finding Phobia was no longer on his mind. He was concerned only with the here and now, absorbed by this moment and the girl moving to him with such beauty and grace.

She reached up and placed one hand on his cheek; it was surprisingly warm and served to slow Robin's pulse, calming him. Robin offered no resistance to her, finding part of him wanted this to happen. Love was a strange state for Robin, so conflicted was he by his feelings for both Titan girls. The last several years of his life had been emotionally challenging beyond a level most would ever have to deal with.

The death of his entire family had left a gaping hole in Robin's heart, one he was reluctant to fill. Bruce had given him something to live for, to fight for, but love was never truly a part of it. Only after forming the Titans did Robin begin to believe someone might capture his heart and open him to an experience he could not have imagined years ago. Though he cared for the two girls in his life upon meeting them, love was something that took time to develop. Gradually Robin came to love both Starfire and Raven, an emotion he had all but abandoned.

He loved each of them in different, even conflicting, ways. Starfire was buoyant, cheerful and bubbly, and Robin genuinely admired her compassion and the unconditional love she showed toward her friends. Raven was her polar opposite. She too loved her friends deeply, but displayed a morose tendency.

Yet Robin was drawn to Raven more readily than he was to Starfire. Perhaps it was the darkness surrounding her, which had been such a large part of his own life in recent years. In a strange way, it was familiar to Robin. Change occurred within him soon after the formation of the Titans, in that he had willingly opened himself to others and developed lasting bonds of friendship. Despite this there was still a lingering darkness in Robin, naturally connecting him strongly to Raven.

Beyond knowing he did not have a family and that he had received training from the legendary Batman, the others knew nothing of his past—with the exception of Raven. Having been in his mind, she was aware of that past and of the great tragedy he had suffered. That bond strengthened their relationship still further.

Smoothly sliding her hand up his face, Raven closed her fingers on the edge of Robin's mask, tenderly removing it and letting it fall to the ground. She gazed into his sparkling icy blue eyes, feeling more peaceful than she had in a long time. Raven ran her hand over Robin's firm chest, feeling it rise and fall with each deep breath, and pressed her body to his.

As Robin placed his hands on her slender waist, Raven leaned upwards, brushing her lips against his gently; she could feel the warmth from each of his breaths on her skin. Her eyes closed and Raven firmly locked her soft, moist lips onto Robin's. She opened her lips, allowing Robin's tongue entrance into her mouth, and ran her own tongue over and under his, following it back into his mouth. Raven slipped her arms up Robin's shoulders, wrapping them around his neck. Standing still as the darkness settled around them, they embraced, holding each other closely.

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Ooh, everything's heating up! I told you it'd be a good chapter. Now be honest, did I fool you guys with the Star/Robin thing? I don't think it was too obviously an illusion. Hopefully I messed with your heads again (it gives me kicks for some reason).


	6. Face Your Fears

We've got an exciting chapter here folks. I don't want to give anything away though, so that's all you're getting from me. Hope you enjoy it.

fanficprincess101 – Yay, a new reviewer! How I love new reviewers. I'm quite glad you're enjoying the story so far. And I like what you said about Phobia – ultimate evil. That really does fit her. It's a good thing you like her then, because you'll get more from Phobia this chapter.

26WhiteRaven – Another new reviewer! What a successful chapter I had. I'm also pleased you're enjoying it so far. I do love to hear that my story is cool.

Moving Mountains – The plot is unfolding indeed. Lol, don't worry, the Raven/Robin moment was not an illusion. Man would that have been a great way to mess with everyone though. Unnecessarily cruel, but definitely fun. But then I'd have to figure out some way of explaining how that was one of their fears, (remember, Phobia only does, well, phobias) especially after I explicitly stated it was a Robin/Raven story.

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – Haha! I fooled someone with the illusion at least. And yeah, Starfire would totally not have actually felt like she was competing with Raven – which is what made it such a good illusion. Oh, and like I said before, I've never really been good at writing emotional stuff, so you have no idea how good it made me feel when you said Raven's confession was surreal and believable. Merci.

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The sunset had ended long ago; the only light now entering the warehouse, faint as it was, came from the streetlights outside. Once again in the chair, Raven stared ahead at the empty building, able to identify very little in the blackened room. Beside her, Robin sat silently, but for the soft creaks his chair made when he shifted his position. Neither had said a word regarding what happened between them, but Raven had been able to sense emotions within Robin during it, feeling his excitement and nervousness. Most importantly, Raven could feel the love Robin had for her in his heart.

Robin was the one to break the silence. "We need to get back to work."

"Yeah, I know."

"I don't know why I didn't ask before, but when Phobia was in your mind, did you see her at all? Do you have any idea where she might be?"

Raven shook her head. "I have no idea. I could sense her in my mind and talk to her, but I didn't see her. She wasn't close enough at any rate."

"So even after all this time we're still at square one."

"Looks like."

Robin leaned to the side of his chair so he could reach into his utility belt and remove his communicator. "I'm going to call Cyborg and Starfire and see if they've had any luck at all."

A loud sound echoed through the cavernous building, reverberating in Robin's eardrums. He perked his head up, clipping his communicator back onto his belt and scanning for the source of the sound.

"What was that?" Raven asked, standing up from her chair.

"I think it was a gunshot," Robin replied, rising to his feet as well.

Three more shots punctured the silence, confirming Robin was right. "Those shots are just outside the building," Robin said, darting off to one of the side doors. "Come on!" He tore past steel columns, uncannily able to wend his way through the dark warehouse as his adrenaline climbed steadily, and slammed into one of the doors, thrusting it wide open with tremendous intensity.

Two police cruisers sat beside each other in the middle of the road, the red and blue lights illuminating the surrounding area. Three officers crouched behind the cars with their handguns drawn, staying low as bullets ricocheted off the vehicles; tiny flashes of orange and yellow sparks burst from the cruisers with each hit. Farther down the street four men stood in front of a black van, each one wearing a menacing balaclava, firing continuously upon the police.

Robin charged out into the road past the police cruisers and whipped a birdarang forward. It cut through the air, striking hard against one of the men's outstretched arms, sending the gun soaring out of his hand. The three other men opened fire upon Robin and he gracefully cart wheeled backwards, avoiding their shots. Landing in a crouched position, Raven appeared at his side, hovering several feet above the concrete. Robin froze as one of the men raised his gun to Raven and fired a single shot, striking her in the stomach. Raven's eyes widened and her shoulders and head sagged forward, her mouth hanging open but with no sounds emerging. She remained in the air for several seconds longer and then collapsed, landing in Robin's arms.

Putting Raven gently down on the pavement, he screamed with rage and pulled a large metal disk from the back of his belt. Robin flung the disk at the men and it skidded atop the concrete, sliding just past them. Before they could react it erupted in a mighty explosion, tossing them upwards like rag dolls and flipping the van onto its side.

Robin turned back to Raven and dropped to his knees. She was shaking and Robin grabbed her shoulders to calm her, but her legs continued to kick. Raven's leotard was warm and sticky over her stomach from the spreading blood.

"Raven, stay with me," Robin said. "Fight it. You're going to be okay."

She convulsed slightly, but was able to turn her eyes to look at Robin. Raven coughed harshly, spitting a stream of blood out that splattered wetly on the concrete. Robin cupped his hand behind Raven's head and her shaking slowed, but her breaths grew more laboured.

Fiercely turning his head to face the stunned officers, Robin screamed, "Call an ambulance! She needs medical attention now!" He looked back at Raven immediately, not bothering to watch them scramble off. "Help is on the way," he softly said. "Just hold on."

Raven barely nodded, growing weaker with each breath.

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"I think it was a gunshot."

Raven raised an eyebrow, staring quizzically at Robin, who had just leapt to his feet. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I don't hear anything."

"Those shots are just outside the building," he blurted out in a fevered pitch. Robin rushed forward at full speed, shouting, "Come on!" back at Raven.

A thunderous sound filled the warehouse when Robin smashed into the side door, which crashed shut again once he was through. She stared in amazement and utter confusion. There hadn't been the slightest sound in an hour, let alone gunshots. She rubbed her forehead and then cursed when it dawned on her. Raven rose off the ground and shot after Robin like a dart.

Dark energy surged from her palm, hitting the steel door with enough force to drive it off the hinges. Smoke and flames danced upwards from the middle of the road when Raven appeared into the night sky. Directly in front of her Robin remained perfectly still, hunched over. Because of the distance separating them, Raven only caught a few words, hearing him say, "—going to be okay."

"Robin, snap out of it!" Raven shouted, coming to land beside him. "Phobia's controlling your mind again. This isn't actually happening to you." Raven circled Robin, reluctant to touch him—while under one of her illusions, he could be tremendously dangerous depending on what he saw. With Raven's luck, Robin might perceive her to be Slade, and making contact with him would no doubt trigger violence. Yelling at him was certainly not producing results either, however.

Robin suddenly jerked his head to the side, screaming, "Call an ambulance! She needs medical attention now!"

Phobia was forcing him to suffer emotionally, like she had done with Raven on the rooftop. There was no way she could be sure what Robin was seeing, but severing the hold on him might just be possible.

"Help is on the way. Just hold on."

Raven could feel Robin growing tense and anxious, telltale signs of fear. Despite the calming words he said, there was panic in his voice. Whoever Robin was comforting, clearly he was afraid things would not turn out okay. Raven knelt beside Robin and touched her pointer and middle fingers to her forehead, slowly chanting, "Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

Her world flashed white and Raven's mind rushed outwards from her skull. Immediately she sensed an aura surrounding Robin, covering his own mind, and bombarded it telepathically. The hold would not dissipate, so strong was Phobia's connection to him, but Raven's efforts revealed a mental link. Were her mind not separated from her body, a smile would have spread across Raven's face upon this discovery. This link, essentially a trail, allowed her to sense where Phobia was directing her abilities from. By following it, Raven would find her.

A hazy, translucent mist swirled around Robin in the darkened mental world, confusing Raven momentarily and serving to momentarily hide the link. She sifted through the fog, pinpointing one thin strand curling off into the distance, which Raven knew was the trail leading back to Phobia.

Whipping through the smoky aura, Raven glided along the path, twisting between buildings and rising above the skyline. The streak arched sharply, falling back to the streets below, and snaked around two office buildings, spiralling upwards along the outer glass. Raven swiftly followed until she was above the two massive office buildings. She paused upon reaching the elevated position, able to see much of the cityscape.

The trail stretched onwards for only a block more, sinking to the roof of a mid-sized building in the end. Raven's view was punctured by a bright white atop the roof, glowing magnificently and lighting the structure. Raven floated down to the neighbouring building and perched on the ledge, staring at the centre of the radiance. Phobia sat cross-legged, the white glow pulsating off her body and the mental link emanating from her forehead. The light was so intense from this short distance that Raven was unable to make out any of her features, apart from seeing that Phobia's eyes were closed.

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Raven's eyes snapped open with a jolt when her mind re-entered her body. In front of her Robin still sat in the same position, his arms positioned awkwardly as if he was cradling someone. Having left the telepathic state she was just in, the aura around him was no longer visible to Raven. The mental link connecting Robin to Phobia remained unseen now, but her location was burned into Raven's mind.

Robin perked his head up, frantically looking up and down the street. "Where are they?" he asked. "She's dying!"

Raven could feel Robin growing more apprehensive and stressed. Subjected to intense emotional duress, his mind was slowly weakening. Raven feared what the effects could be if she did not break the illusion.

She soared upwards with such rapidity the surrounding buildings blurred together and her world became fuzzy and distorted. Diving forward, Raven sped past numerous high rises, closing in on Phobia. A strong wind blasted against her face, her hair flapping wildly and tears trickling from the corners of her eyes. She could now see Phobia below her, unaware of Raven's approach.

Arching her back and thrusting her legs out in front, she landed on the rooftop, fluidly taking several steps forward and throwing her fist at Phobia. Raven's knuckles pounded into Phobia's jawbone, snapping her head backwards and leaving her lying on the roof. The woman pushed herself up using her hands, finally giving Raven a clear view of her features.

Phobia was strikingly beautiful, with short forest green hair that clung to her head and extended just past her ears. A thin line of green ran along the outside of her eyes, and her lips were the same dark colour. She wore a tight fitting, sleeveless dark green bodysuit, which served to outline her curved figure, and flat soled black boots rose to her knees. She was perhaps half a foot taller than Raven and at least ten years her elder. Tilting her head downwards, she flashed a wickedly twisted smile—the very same one Terra had smiled at Raven as she drowned.

"Hello, Raven," she said in a light, almost cheerful, tone. "I had no idea you were dropping by."

"Just shut up," Raven spat out.

"Oh come now, don't be so rude."

Raven stabbed her pointer finger into the air at Phobia. "You tried to hurt my friends. They could have been killed."

"With any luck," Phobia replied. The smile had not left her face.

"Why are you doing this?"

The smile spread wider and she chuckled lightly. "Does the bad guy always need to have some nefarious plot? I'm just doing this for fun."

"_For fun_?" Raven took a step forward, feeling her body tense up with anger. "You're sick and twisted."

"Careful what you say to me," Phobia said harshly. "Around me, anger can turn to fear in the blink of an eye."

Raven allowed a smile to spread across her own face. Tapping her temple with her pointer and middle fingers, she said, "Trying to get in here, are you?"

A surprised look showed itself on Phobia's face, but she quickly regained her composure. "It seems I didn't realize the extent of your abilities."

"I was confused and vulnerable before, but that's changed. You made a mistake showing me the last illusion."

Phobia waved her hand dismissively. "Well no matter, I can still enjoy tormenting the others. I might not be able to get inside your head anymore, but there's nothing you can do to break my hold on them."

"What have you done to Robin?" Raven demanded. "What is he seeing?"

"He thinks you're dead," she responded callously. "Apparently you dying is one of that weak sentimentalist's greatest fear. How tragic for him," she said sarcastically, her lips pouting. So overcome with rage, Raven did not notice Phobia gingerly slip her hand behind her back as she continued speaking. "You have impressive mental abilities, but only fear flows to the very soul. Entering minds is easy; projecting false realities is real power."

"Power you're about to lose."

"Not likely."

Moonlight glinted off the dagger as Phobia removed it from her belt, catching Raven's eye and giving her the precious second she needed to avoid the first strike. Her fist clenched tightly around the handle, Phobia lunged forward.

Raven let herself fall backwards, watching as the blade cut through the empty air centimetres above her face, and raised her legs skywards once she had landed on her back, pressing the soles of her boots against Phobia's stomach. Using Phobia's forward momentum against her, Raven thrust her legs upwards still further, flipping Phobia over. She landed hard on her back, grunting deeply, and Raven spun around, already up on one knee, and was forced to twist her leg to the right to avoid a wild swipe by Phobia while she lay on her side.

Raven leapt to her feet and steadied herself as Phobia charged at her again, slicing the dagger horizontally, and curved her back, the cold steel narrowly missing her windpipe. A vertical thrust downwards glanced off a circular shield of dark energy around Raven's left hand. Countering the blow, Raven snapped her right hand upwards on an angle, releasing a blast of energy that struck against the left side of Phobia's face and her shoulder, tossing her back a step awkwardly.

Phobia shook her head, clearing the fuzziness from her vision. "You'll pay for that, witch!"

Raven upraised her left arm and shot black from her extended fingers. The energy surged through the air, wrapping itself around Phobia's right hand, still clutching the dagger, and spread upwards until the entire arm was encased. Closing her hand into a fist, Raven lifted her arm above her head, pulling Phobia up off the rooftop. Seeing only panic in Phobia's eyes, Raven whipped her arm down past her waist, slamming Phobia face first against the concrete roof.

The black energy dissipated, but Phobia did not move. Faint breathing indicated she was still alive and a thin line of blood exuded from her ear. Raven bent down, sliding the dagger out from Phobia's fingers and into her own. She gently turned the weapon over, pointing the edge at the body lying in front of her, and tightened her grip.

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Now was that exciting or what? What's Raven going to do? Let Phobia live or give in to a darker emotion? What suspense! Did I fool anyone with the Raven being shot thing, or have you guys pretty much figured things out? I suppose I'd be asking for too much if I thought any of you would keep falling for stuff like that.


	7. The Need for Inner Strength

Here it is, the final chapter. I don't know how many hours I spent getting this chapter right. It just wouldn't work out for me for the longest time. But I think I've finally gotten it the way I want. I really hope all of you enjoy it, because that would make all those hours totally and completely worth it.

I got more reviews on the last chapter than ever, so there are far more responses:

Tortured Soul – Whoa there. No dying on me, lol. While I certainly appreciate your love of my story, if you die you can't enjoy the end of it and give me more reviews. That'd hurt both of us.

fanficprincess101 – The suspense is killing you, isn't it? It was certainly killing me before I figured out what would happen (and I did think about it for a long while). And I love it that you love it so darn much. Oh, and you're from Canada too, aren't you? How very exciting.

26WhiteRaven – Lol, no shame in being fooled by my masterfully crafted illusions. I'm so glad you've been enjoying the story. I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter.

RaeRobFan – Bah! I didn't fool you, huh? You're too smart for me it seems. Lol, I love the phrase heaby geabies. It makes me happy the fluff gave you them heaby geabies. And a bullet might not hurt Raven, you're right, but that's what made it such a good illusion. And now the suspense ends for you – I know you'll be happy to hear that, lol.

Moving Mountains – I was really pleased with how the fight scene came out, so I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too. Thanks for all the support you've given. I appreciate it so gosh darn much!

serasvictoria666 – I have to say that's certainly the longest review I've ever gotten. Shame to hear about the last review you tried to leave. And of course I care! You always leave such wonderful reviews, so I was surprised when I didn't get one from you for chapter 5. You were so sweet to stay up super late to leave a review for me. Even though I didn't get it, that's a tremendous compliment for me. And I'm so pleased you liked Robin's fear. I'm getting some really good feedback regarding that, which of course makes me that much more proud of my work. Thanks so much for the support!

Z Star the Hidden Dragon – Nothing makes me happier than hearing how much you love Phobia. I put a lot of effort into crafting her. I'm going to be honest here (and I hope it doesn't ruin anybody's opinion of my story), but Phobia is actually a villain from the old Titans comics. I came across her one day on the Internet and thought her powers would be great in a story. But other than her powers, I know nothing about her (not even her real name), so the personality and everything is entirely my own construction. So it's really rewarding to hear when people say they like her in the story, because I didn't pull any of that from the comics. I spent so much time making her lines just perfect to fit the way I wanted her to be. I probably should have said that earlier, but I wanted to keep the mystery as high as I could.

robraefan – There you are! I thought you'd disappeared or something since I haven't heard from you for so long (I dismissed the idea that you stopped liking the story – that seemed rather absurd, lol). It was great to check my email and see 5 reviews from you. That certainly made my day. And it's good to hear that you think my writing has even improved. I spend so much time trying to make each chapter better than the last one, so to have you say that makes me smile.

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It would be so easy. One slice of the blade and it would be over.

Phobia was psychotic and a severe threat to those closest to Raven. She lowered herself to her knees beside Phobia and firmly grabbed hold of Phobia's shoulder, turning her over so that she was left lying on her back. A large patch of blood covered most of her forehead, strands of hair sticking to the thick, wet liquid, and her eyelids twitched. Raven touched the steel tip to Phobia's skin, preparing to slit her throat.

Just as the edge was about to puncture Phobia's skin, Raven pulled the blade away, staring down at it in disbelief. Despite the suffering the woman put her friends through, she could not bring herself to kill Phobia. She was a hero and a Titan, not a murderer. Raven's emotions had been at the forefront throughout the day, leaving her feeling drained and replacing rational thinking. Without her characteristic calmness, Raven was susceptible to hatred, anger and vengeance. Those feelings could not guide her.

Tossing the dagger away, Raven sank her face into her hands, disgusted at herself. Her rage had taken control of her, bringing Raven far too close to committing an unspeakable act. She sat still for several minutes, letting the breeze blow through her hair, coping with the choice she came frighteningly close to making.

Raven's communicator sprang to life, squeaking at her. She reached behind her back, pulling it out, and flipped it open, desperately steadying herself emotionally.

Robin looked anxious and concerned. "Raven, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Robin," she replied, not entirely sure she believed her own words.

Relief washed over his face. "It's so good to hear that. She was in my mind again, and then everything disappeared and I couldn't find you. What happened?"

"It's over. I've got Phobia." She paused and then asked, "Are you okay, Robin?"

"I think I am," he said, nodding rather unconvincingly.

Clearly Robin did not know Raven was aware of the particular illusion he was put through, though she was not going to press him about it over the communicator. "Are you still at the warehouse?"

"Yeah. I'll call Starfire and Cyborg and tell them to meet us."

"Okay, I'm on my way."

"See you shortly then."

Robin's face faded away, replaced with fuzzy grey, and Raven slowly pressed her finger on the back of the communicator, closing it. She took several deep breaths in, letting her shoulders rise and fall, consciously controlling her breathing. For the first time in years, she found her eyes drift upwards to the stars. The night sky was coated with sparkling flecks, the rain clouds having dispersed, and the dampness was palpable.

A calm floated through the air, and Raven pushed her emotions away, forcing them from her mind, as she had done countless times before. She needed to be strong, to be utterly in control of her feelings. Considering the amount of rage that had been flowing through her, it was almost a miracle Raven had not torn Phobia to pieces with her dark powers.

Raven gathered herself and stood, waving her hand and creating a flat oval of dark energy underneath Phobia, lifting her into the air. A wonderfully light feeling overtook Raven when her contact with the roof ended. After so many years she had become accustomed to the sensation of flight, yet during these emotionally jarring times sometimes it could feel like each flight was her first. There were few things that could calm her as easily and effortlessly as soaring through the air.

Raven glided across the sky with an unconscious Phobia in tow, one of her legs awkwardly hanging off the flat elliptical. Moonlight glinted off the glass of a tall office building and Raven caught a glimpse of herself in its reflection as she floated past.

Once she had rounded that edifice, the warehouse became visible far below her. Raven descended toward the structure, able to see Robin standing on the sidewalk, looking up at her with a smile on his face. She hovered several feet above the road and lowered Phobia first, touching down right after.

Robin wrapped his arms firmly around her and hoisted her off the ground. "Raven!" One word was all Robin said, but he crammed more relief and happiness into those two syllables than any single word Raven had ever heard.

Lowering her back to the concrete, he held her close to him, squeezing tightly, and Raven felt moisture on her cheekbone as a tear fell out from under Robin's mask.

Finally releasing her, Robin said, "I thought I'd lost you, Raven. I…I saw…" Robin cringed and bit his lip, struggling to put his pain into words. Though he now recognized it as an illusion, those minutes were agonizingly horrendous. The thought of losing any of his friends was a devastating one, but the vision of Raven's death released a feeling of suffering Robin had not felt since he lost his family. The illusion left an indelible impression in Robin's mind, creating a greater appreciation for not only their friendship, but also their, well, he didn't know exactly what else it was. Not yet at least.

"I know," she said quietly, the soothing quality slowing Robin's pulse. "I know what you saw."

His sturdy hands grabbed Raven's shoulders in a fierce and determined, yet tender and compassionate, manner. "I can't lose you, Raven," he whispered.

"You won't."

Her violet eyes took hold of Robin, sparkles bouncing off her irises from the streetlight above. The purple orbs were deep and beautiful, but there was the slightest quiver in them now, as if something was tugging at Raven.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Robin asked. "You're eyes are shaking, like something's frightening you."

Raven lowered her head, blocking Robin from seeing into her eyes. She was afraid to tell him how close she had come to ending Phobia's life. Raven was ashamed that she had been a fraction of a second away from killing in cold blood. Heroes were supposed to always make the right decisions, to never have lapses of judgement like that. Still, she knew hiding it from Robin would be impossible.

"On the rooftop," Raven began, "I almost…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I came close to—"

"Friends!"

Raven whirled around to see Starfire floating down to them, arms stretched wide to their limit and eyes beaming with excitement. Positive energy flowed from the Tamaranean and she radiated warmth.

"I'll be okay," Raven whispered to Robin as Starfire approached. "But ask me again later."

Touching down beside her fellow Titans, Starfire wrapped her arms around them so tightly that Raven found herself short of breath for the duration of the powerful hug.

Still squeezing the life from them, Starfire half shouted, "I am overjoyed to see you both unharmed."

"It's good to see you too," Raven croaked out, "but I think that's about all the joy I can handle."

Starfire happily relented, her mouth spread wide in a smile, and both Raven and Robin sucked large gulps of air in.

"It's really good to see you too," Robin said. "We were all worried about you for a bit. I was relieved when Cyborg let us know he'd found you."

Starfire's demeanour suddenly shifted and she looked away from her friends. "I am sorry for leaving you," she said. "After all we have been through, I should have known you would never replace me. I should have had more of the faith in you."

"It's okay, Starfire," Robin replied.

"The illusions were powerful," Raven remarked. "I truly believed Trigon had come back. There's no shame in believing what you saw and no need to apologize."

Robin put his hand on Starfire's shoulder. "I was fooled twice."

Starfire smiled again, letting happiness flood back onto her face.

"Is Cyborg on his way here?"

The Tamaranean vigorously nodded her head, tossing her long red hair around. "He retrieved his 'baby' to aid in our search shortly prior to your call and was right behind me in it." Starfire's gaze drifted downwards and she finally noticed Phobia lying still on the pavement behind Raven. "That is the woman who created the false images?"

"That's her all right," Robin said.

"Then she can no longer conjure her illusions, correct?"

Raven shrugged. "There's no real way to tell. I knocked her out cold. So long as she's unconscious she won't be doing anything. But when she wakes up I'm sure she'll be just as dangerous."

"Any way you can remove her powers, Raven?"

"You mean mentally take them away?"

Robin nodded. "Is that possible?"

"I have no way of knowing if I'm even capable of something like that."

"Maybe Cyborg can whip something up that could at least block her from creating illusions then."

"Well we'd better keep her sedated until we know if he can or not. She needs medical attention though, so we'll have to make sure she gets that first."

"Let us do the asking of him now," Starfire stated, pointing down the street.

Raven and Robin shifted their stares to where Starfire was indicating, but could already hear the T-Car approaching, the smooth rumbling reverberating off the rows of tall structures flanking the road. Easing to a stop, the T-Car hummed softly for another moment before Cyborg switched off the engine. He wore a wide grin on his face as he stepped out, shutting the door behind him. "Hey y'all. I heard Raven caught our mystery woman."

Cyborg clasped Robin's hand and put his arm around Raven. "You guys okay?"

"I think we are," Robin replied. "A little worse for wear, but we're— "

"Ooh, she's pretty hot," Cyborg said quickly, his interest suddenly distracted by Phobia. "Anyone else think so?"

Raven rolled her eyes and sighed, ignoring him. "Is there any way you can come up with a device that can block her abilities?"

"You mean something that slips over her head and disrupts her from sending out her powers, or an implant into her brain that stops her at the source?"

"Anything," Robin said, "so long as it works."

"I'll see what I can come up with."

"Good. For now we're just going to make sure she's sedated."

"I think I'm going to take a closer look at her though."

Raven glared at him and Cyborg immediately thrust his hands up defensively.

"Just to make sure she's alright, that's all," he replied after having taken a step back. "Sheesh, I didn't mean _that_." Cyborg bent down, resting on one knee, and examined Phobia's injuries, specifically the laceration on her forehead.

"How is she?" Robin asked.

"I think she'll be fine," Cyborg replied, standing back up. "But she needs a little bit of treatment, especially on her head. You really did a number on her, Raven," he said jokingly. "Hey Raven, what'd you say her name was?"

"Phobia."

"Right. Did Phobia say why she was doing all this?"

"She said it was just for fun."

Starfire's entire face widened from shock, her mouth hanging open. "She did these horrible things for amusement? Can someone be so cruel?"

"She is," Raven replied harshly, staring down at her still body with contempt. "That woman is the embodiment of cruel."

"I don't buy it," Robin said, shaking his head slightly. "There has to have been something more here."

"She played with our emotions. She's twisted and sick."

"I just don't think someone would do all this just for fun. It doesn't make sense."

"Well, either way we won't be finding out anytime soon," Cyborg said. "Hey, anyone been in touch with BB?"

Robin shook his head. "I tried maybe ten minutes ago after I talked to all of you, but there's still no answer from him."

"Perhaps we should do the checking up on him," Starfire suggested.

"We could all use a good rest anyways," Cyborg remarked, already carefully hoisting Phobia over his shoulder as he finished talking. He and Starfire turned away, heading back to the T-Car.

"You ready for that herbal tea now?" Robin asked, smiling at Raven.

She returned the smile, lightly pecking him on the cheek, and together they walked away from the warehouse.

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There you have it. I really hope everyone enjoyed the story, especially the ending. Planning for my next story is well under way, and it will be much longer and more intricate. This story was almost like a test for me, to see how I handled fan fiction. And judging by all the warm and positive feedback many of you have given me, I'd say the test went pretty well. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed the story. Your support has been much appreciated.


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